Retro Review: Robin: Reborn
In this, his 80th year, it’s a good time to revisit the very first mini series that eventually led to the first Robin regular series. This first mini series stars Tim Drake as he sets off on a training regime, prior to enjoying a little jaunt across Europe, learning from different masters, just like his longer eared mentor, kind of.
Tim Drake first appeared in Batman #436. As a youngster, he also witnessed the death of John and Mary Grayson. It was until a few years later, when he recognised a certain acrobatic manoeuvre that he put two and two together working out if Robin was Dick Grayson, then Bruce Wayne must be Batman. From there, during the Lonely place of Dying story line, he petitioned the Dark Knight on the need of a Robin. But with Nightwing too old and unwilling to step backward, and with Jason Todd still worm food at this point, who else could fill the role? Over time, Tim proved his worth, breaking the rules in order to save Batman from the Scarecrow, and earning his promotion. But he still had a lot to learn.
Chuck Dixon, prior to becoming the Bat-guru, took on Tim as he tried to learn martial arts, deal with a bully student, fall in with a CIA agent, whilst avoiding the manipulations of Lady Shiva, Did I mention the introduction of a villain that would try hard to become a major thorn in Robins side, coupled with his own personal would be Catwoman type femme fatale? Oh how from little acorn do big trees grow. Under Dixon, Tim has a different approach to situations than any of his predecessors. Where Dick would probably emote his way through a story and Jason would just barrel in, Tim has a more logical approach, especially apt as he is neither as acrobatic or as handy with his fists as those that went before. It’s this sort of think first approach that have many to think that Tim would be the natural replacement for Batman when Bruce steps down. Of course, with the DC universe as it is, I may have more chance of wearing the cowl than Tim, ….sorry Drake has right now. This mini is 5 issues long, with clear acts in play. Dixon writes excellently here, using the books as a bit of a proving ground maybe, as it wasn’t that long after Dixon would be on Detective Comics, Catwoman, Nightwing, Robin and Birds of Prey. A master storyteller, Dixon was able to utilise different styles for each of those popular ongoing books.
The art for the series was provided by the late Tom Lyle. This first series is a bit of a mix of styles. Mainly Lyle is quite square jawed with the poses, at time feeling forced. There is movement through the panels which make it work. When it comes to the female characters, the style becomes more rounded. His Shiva for example is a far cry from the character we had seen previously, though he added an oriental style which has been used since. Lyle’s are also had a consistency about it; you knew what you would be getting. Panel layouts are thoughtful; later in the run, how Robin defeats Shiva is just one example of the designs used. As with a lot of artists, faces could be a challenge, as Tim would both posses the chubbiness of youth and square jaw of hero. Still, with the art being of it’s time, the action and pace flows well. Inker Bob Smith added and abetted Lyle, with a mix of strong lines. Colors are provided by the colorist queen of late 1980’s DC Adrienne Roy who manages to give so much nuance to each world wide environment prior to all the digital coloring becoming all the rage. Finally, letterer Tim Harkins provides a font that is easy to read, falls in line with the art and doesn’t drag down the pace, even in the more conversational aspects of the story.
The success of this book led to two sequels , The Jokers Wild; the inevitable Clown Prince and Robin rematch with all the guilt and pressure of the death of Jason, which sounds a lot more fun than it was; and the Cry of the Huntress as DC tried yet again to make Helena Bertinelli more plausible to it’s main universe. From here, Dixon would go on to write over 100 issues of the solo Robin book, with Lyle swinging across the isle to work on Spider-Man with Maximum Carnage and the Clone Sage. Originally, I missed this run, buying it trade format. I now posses all the single issues, and even though I may not go back and read it as often as I had in the past (who does?), re-reading them now, given that the story still holds up well, has put a smile on my face.
Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
Overall – 4.5 Stars
Written by; Chuck Dixon
Art by; Tom Lyle
Inks by; Bob Smith
Colors by; Adrienne Roy
Letters by; Tim Harkins
Published by; DC Comics
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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